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min answer › question first answered

2018-11-16T14:33:47.083Z

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Work and Pensions

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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is
taking to ensure that a claimant will not receive less money in benefits as a result
of moving to universal credit under the managed migration process.

<p>Welfare claimants whose circumstances remain the same will not see their benefit
entitlement reduced as a direct result of being moved on to Universal Credit through
managed migration, as they will receive transitional protection. This will ensure
that claimants who are managed migrated will have total entitlement to Universal Credit
that is at least as great had been their total entitlement to existing benefits at
the point they are migrated, so safeguarding their benefit entitlement until their
circumstances change.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants whose entitlement is less in Universal
Credit than their legacy entitlement will receive transitional protection to ensure
their benefit allowance remains the same at the point of transition. The other claimants
who are migrated onto Universal Credit as part of managed migration will receive the
same or an increased entitlement as they receive on legacy benefits.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally,
we have announced that Tax Credits claimants with capital in excess of the £16,000
capital threshold will now receive a 12-month grace period during which they can receive
transitional protection if eligible.</p><p> </p><p>We have also announced that, from
16 January 2019, we will prevent those claimants who are, or have been within the
past month entitled to an award of an existing benefit that includes a Severe Disability
Premium (SDP), from naturally migrating to Universal Credit following a change of
circumstances. These claimants will continue to receive the relevant legacy benefit(s)
appropriate to their change of circumstance and will only move to Universal Credit
via managed migration (and therefore be eligible to transitional protection), safeguarding
their existing benefit entitlement.</p><p> </p><p>We will also provide both an on-going
monthly payment to eligible claimants who have already lost the SDP as a consequence
of moving to Universal Credit and an additional monthly payment to cover the period
since they moved. Eligibility for these payments will depend on a number of criteria
being satisfied, which include whether the basic qualifying conditions for SDP continue
to be met.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government
news release of 1 October 2018 entitled Citizens Advice to provide support to Universal
Credit claimants, how much funding she plans to allocate to Citizens Advice in Scotland
to provide that support; and what plans she has to provide funding for areas that
do not have a Citizens Advice office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people her Department
plans to migrate from employment support allowance to universal credit in (a) the
West Midlands and (b) Birmingham, Edgbaston in (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22
and (iv) 2022-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours of training is
planned to be given to her Department's decision-makers to identify people who may
be vulnerable or have complex needs for the purposes of the universal credit managed
migration.

<p>All DWP staff working with customers complete training that prepares them for their
role. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with
a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different
vulnerable groups.</p><p> </p><p>We are taking a slow, measured approach to managed
migration and this will allow for on-going evaluation of the process to ensure that
it is working successfully, which will enable us to refine our methods to support
claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The revised draft regulations now before Parliament provide
that we must give claimants a minimum of three months in which to make a claim for
Universal Credit and sets no maximum period in which a claim must be made. With unlimited
flexibility to extend claim periods we will work with representative groups to produce
guidance that will ensure adequate support for each individual claimant’s needs.</p><p>
</p><p>Decision makers and all our customer facing staff undertake learning related
to supporting vulnerable claimants. Decision Makers receive 19.5 hours of training
on dealing with vulnerable groups and line managers review whether there is a need
to refresh the knowledge / learning with individuals where appropriate.</p>

<p>The Office for National Statistics use the Labour Force Survey to provide estimates
for workless households in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>However, the percentage and number
of workless households in Crawley are unavailable due to small sample sizes.</p><p>
</p><p>For April-June 2018, there were 331,000 workless households in the South East
region, which was 11.8% of households in the region.</p><p> </p><p>For April-June
2018, there were 2,391,000 workless households in England, which was 13.7% of all
English households.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations she has
received from (a) trades union and (b) the Trade Union Congress in relation to the
managed migration of universal credit.

<p>No meetings have been held by DWP with trade unions or the Trade Union Congress
regarding Managed Migration specifically. However, the Trade Union Congress and some
individual trade unions responded to the Social Security Advisory Committee report
on the draft Universal Credit Managed Migration Regulations 2018, published on 5 November
2018 which can be accessed at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-universal-credit-managed-migration-regulations-2018-ssac-report-and-government-statement"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-universal-credit-managed-migration-regulations-2018-ssac-report-and-government-statement</a></p><p>
</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the meetings
held by her Department (a) trades unions and (b) the Trade Union Congress on the managed
migration of universal credit in 2018; and if she will make a statement.

<p>No meetings have been held by DWP with trade unions or the Trade Union Congress
regarding Managed Migration specifically. However, the Trade Union Congress and some
individual trade unions responded to the Social Security Advisory Committee report
on the draft Universal Credit Managed Migration Regulations 2018, published on 5 November
2018 which can be accessed at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-universal-credit-managed-migration-regulations-2018-ssac-report-and-government-statement"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-universal-credit-managed-migration-regulations-2018-ssac-report-and-government-statement</a></p><p>
</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their decision to extend the policy to
provide Universal Tax Credit to a maximum of two children to new Universal Credit
claimants from February 2019, whether there will be an exception for families with
three or more children who were born before 6 April 2017.

<p>Since 6 April 2017 families with third and subsequent children born on or after
this date are able to claim additional support through Child Tax Credit or Universal
Credit for their first two children only. This maximum support will also apply to
entirely new claims to Universal Credit on or after 1 February 2019, regardless of
the date of birth of their children.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants that are already receiving
support for those born before 6 April 2017 will continue to do so. If they subsequently
move to or reclaim Universal Credit (following a break in claim of less than 6 months)
they will receive the child element for the same number of children they were previously.
This will apply both if they naturally migrate following a significant change of circumstances
or are moved as part of managed migration, so long as they remain responsible for
the same children.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 5 November
(HL Deb, col 1581), what evidence informed her statement that the UK “provides more
benefits for families than any other advanced nation”; and what measure of “benefits
for families” was used.

<p>The latest data shows that the UK spends 3.8 per cent of GDP on expenditure classified
by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as “family benefits”.
This is more than any other country in the OECD.</p><p> </p><p>“Family benefits” include
cash benefits, such as personal tax credits, Child Benefit; maternity benefits and
child Disability Living Allowance; and benefits in kind covering child care and social
services. They do not include other benefits that might be available to the claimant,
such as Personal Independence Payment or Housing Benefit.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the quantity was of (a)
electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) her Department, (ii) the Health and Safety
Executive, (iii) the Pensions Advisory Service and (iv) the Pensions Regulator in
each of the last three years for which figures are available.

<p>Please see below electricity &amp; gas usage for 2015/16, 2016/17 &amp; 2017/18.</p><p>
</p><p>(i) DWP</p><p> </p><p>Please note that 6 day opening began in 2017/18 in some
areas, but has not yet been fully rolled out. To date, 6 day opening does not seem
to have had a major impact on consumption or cost of energy per FTE.</p><p> </p><p>DWP
energy figures are based on total consumption taken from the invoices that DWP is
responsible for paying. Consumption and cost figures have then been divided by total
FTE figures for the estate in each year. Please note that no adjustment has been made
for recharging where there are sub-tenants within buildings DWP occupies, or for buildings
at which DWP is recharged, and we do not have the facility to make that adjustment
at present.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh
/ FTE</p></td><td><p>Gas kWh / FTE</p></td><td><p>FTE Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>1867</p></td><td><p>2308</p></td><td><p>75742</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>1832</p></td><td><p>2452</p></td><td><p>75590</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>1806</p></td><td><p>2459</p></td><td><p>75065</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p>(i) Health and Safety Executive</p><p> </p><p>Data based on HSE’s 28
offices, including HSE’s laboratory in Buxton. Where HSE does not know specific consumption
from some of its Landlords /Holding Departments, and where HSE has government tenants
whose consumption is not separately sub-metered, figures are estimated.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh</p></td><td><p>Gas
kWh</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>12,051,317</p></td><td><p>13,138,923</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>12,337,288</p></td><td><p>13,896,081</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>11,763,810</p></td><td><p>13,849,043</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(ii) The Pensions Advisory Service</p><p> </p><p>In
a shared building, where they share the service charge &amp; payments are made centrally.</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity kWh</p></td><td><p>Gas
kWh</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>No information held</p></td><td><p>No
information held.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td><td><p>No
information held.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>No information held.</p></td><td><p>No
information held.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(iii) The Pensions Regulator</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Electricity £</p></td><td><p>Gas
£</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td><td><p>Not
available at this time</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>Not available
at this time</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>Not
available at this time</p></td><td><p>Not available at this time</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p>